Parliament endorses amendments proposed to the counter-terrorism law

DUSHANBE, June 20, 2012, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament today endorsed amendments proposed to the RT Law “On Combating Terrorism” by the President of the country.

Presenting the amendments, Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda noted that according to the amendments made to the law, the list of persons suspected of being involved in terrorism would be prepared by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) and the SCNS would have the right to frozen their accounts and arrest their movable property and real estate.

The Supreme Court makes decision on banning an organization as terrorist on the basis of suit filed by the Prosecutor-General’s Office, Tajik chief prosecutor noted.

Meanwhile, speaking on this issue, the Communist Party leader Shodi Shabdolov noted that there was no a precise definition of term “terrorism.” There is an international legal consensus regarding the definition of the term “terrorism” and even the United Nations has failed to give the definition of it, the CPT leader said.

According to him, there are terrorists in Tajikistan killing and robbing people for political motives. “I am indignant at the fact that today a group of states that call themselves superpowers may declare a whole state a terrorist state. These states are declared the terrorist one for protecting their national interests. It was in Egypt, Libya, Iraq,” said Shabdolov. “In this connection I ask the government to be very careful over these issues so that they could not use us in this dirty game.”

The Islamic Revival Party (IRP) leader Muhiddin Kabiri supported Shabdolov and noted that the Muslim Brotherhood organization, which won Egyptian elections, has been banned in Tajikistan since 2006.

“Under Tajikistan’s legislation, neither leader of the Muslim Brotherhood nor leader of the Islamic Revival of Tunisia, who won presidential elections in their countries, can visit Tajikistan because these organizations are banned in our country, like other CIS nations, as terrorist,” the IRP leader stressed.

State Adviser to the President for Legal Issues Jumakhon Davlatov, who is also President’s Representative in Parliament, noted that 14 organizations have been banned in Tajikistan as terrorist “and this list may be extended or reduced, depending on decisions of judicial authorities.”